


That Time of Year Again

by kronette



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Christmas, Gen, Season/Series 09, christmas 2013
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-20
Updated: 2013-12-20
Packaged: 2018-01-05 07:19:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1091132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kronette/pseuds/kronette
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is set during season 9 – shhh, spoilers! The batcave has been transformed, in spite of Dean's protests.</p>
            </blockquote>





	That Time of Year Again

For so long, it had been just him and Sam. Before that, it had been him and dad, but…yeah. Him and Sam. 

Now, with Abaddon housecleaning Hell and the former King of Hell tied up in the Bat Cave, they could breathe. At least for a little while. Until the shit hit the fan like it always did and they were back out in it, saving the world. 

Tonight, though, was about family. More for Sam than him, but he could tell they'd all needed…something. Charlie and Dorothy were back from Oz (and seriously, that never got old), Toto running underfoot and happy to be among friendly faces as far as he could tell. 

Kevin was firmly on the wagon, sipping a Coke as he and Charlie geeked out about computer things. It was good to see the kid engaged and focused, his face creased in a smile rather than a grimace. 

Sam was grilling Dorothy about her father and the past. Dorothy was taking it well – she'd deflected the insistent questions about her life at first, but Sam could be a persuasive ass when he wanted to, and he'd wanted to. Dorothy was talking to Sam but her gaze remained locked on the only real outsider to the group, and Dean couldn't blame her. 

He'd been against it at first. Come on; really? Crowley at a Christmas party – not that they were calling it a Christmas party – but Crowley at a Christmas party? But everyone else had agreed that it would be unreasonably cruel to leave him shut away in the dark. Sam had given him the look and he'd caved just like he always did. So they'd allowed Crowley to make himself presentable and less potent, painted a large Devil's Trap on the floor and allowed Crowley to walk around. Every time Crowley took a sip of bourbon or nibbled at some food, he'd get this look of bliss for a split second, then he'd be his normal, growly self and Dean wondered if he'd imagined it. 

"Crowley is enjoying himself," Cas remarked from his left. The former angel was mechanically popping food into his mouth, the weeks he'd gone without a decent meal having left an impression on him. 

Dean would carry the guilt of that to his final grave. He shook himself and nodded to the demon. "He's putting on a show, but I think this will be good for him. Maybe make him more liable to help us in the future." 

Cas shook his head as he stuffed a handful of pretzels into his mouth, then washed them down with a swig of water. "No, Crowley is enjoying himself. He's always craved attention; that's what allowed him to rise to King of Hell. His people love him. Loved him," he corrected quietly. 

Dean took a pull from his beer. "Yeah, well, they can have him back once we smoke Abaddon." 

Cas turned to him with his normal unreadable expression. "You would let Crowley go?"

He shrugged. "Better the devil you know, right? Besides, he's a bureaucrat at heart. The more rules he instigates, the less problems we'll have. Hopefully." 

"But Dean –"

He interrupted Cas' protest quietly. "Cas. It's Christmas. No business tonight. Our only mission tonight is to eat, drink and be merry." 

Cas picked at the label on his water bottle. "Of course. It should be a celebration of life, as it was all those millennia ago." His gaze softened to quiet contemplation. "I'd forget, sometimes, when I'd be on Earth too long, that everything had a greater purpose." 

He rubbed his forehead and started to whine, "Cas…" 

"Dean." A glare stopped the words in his throat. "If the birth of God's Son isn't a time to remember that everything has a greater purpose, then we are all truly damned." 

He felt like he'd just been scolded by Dad for taking the last Oreo for himself. He rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Sorry. Time for peace and love and all that sh- stuff. Got it." 

Cas' ire melted away and his face lit up like the robust tree Sam had cut down and they'd decorated with whatever supplies they could come up with. "Do you not feel the love in this room? Even if I no longer have my powers, it is still a powerful force." 

Dean looked at the laughing, happy faces of those he called family and felt a smile tugging at his mouth. Seeing Sam and Kevin smile, seeing Charlie alive, and seeing Cas' peaceful contentment made his chest constrict, but in a good way. "Yeah, I feel it." He raised his bottle. "Merry Christmas, Cas."

Cas looked adorably confused as he held his plastic bottle aloft, then Dean tapped their bottles together. Cas' face transformed into one of understanding, then he smiled. "Merry Christmas, Dean." 

"Hey, I thought we weren't doing toasts until midnight," Sam called from across the room. 

Dean raised his bottle higher. "Close enough. Merry Christmas." He smiled around the room as everyone raised their drinks. His life may have been harsh, and sometimes it absolutely sucked, but his faith in his family had never wavered.


End file.
